MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
While many Fredonia students were enjoying their summer vacations, changes in connection with SUNY’s sustainability policy were announced, some of which may affect students.
On July 18, an email was sent to the campus community by Sarah Laurie, Fredonia’s director of environmental health, safety and sustainability.
The message referenced SUNY Procedure 5200, officially titled “Elimination of Single Use Plastics and Preference for Durable and Reusable Alternatives.”
This procedure, enacted by SUNY on March 5, 2024, outlines goals for eliminating single-use plastics.
Dr. Courtney Wigdahl-Perry, an associate professor of biology and aquatic ecology, said that single-use plastics come with several benefits, such as cost-effectiveness, a long lifespan, durability, versatility and others.
“The features that make them awesome are the same features that make them very problematic out in the environment,” said Wigdahl. “Looking at what we do around plastic and how we can try to reduce the volume of it gets to be really, really important.”
Balloons are one of the items on the chopping block, which may have surprised some students.
Although balloons are a symbol of celebration, their material can pose threats to the environment, according to the Environmental Nature Center (ENC).
An article published on the ENC’s website states that balloons are primarily made of either latex or mylar. Mylar is considered to be worse for the environment, but latex has some concerns as well.
“Although latex balloons are considered bio-degradable, this will take anywhere from 6 months to 4 years to decompose, and they can wreak a lot of havoc before they do,” the article said.
Part of the issue with balloons is that when they come back down after being released, there’s no control over where they’ll land or what problems they might cause.
While some compostable balloon options do exist, Laurie said this doesn’t solve the problem balloons pose.
“The issue isn’t necessarily whether or not the item is compostable, but the way in which it’s managed after it’s used,” she said. “Even though that balloon may eventually compost, it can pose a lot of issues along the way.”
According to the policy, balloons used for celebration were to be reduced by 50% as of August 1, 2024, and they were to be eliminated altogether by August 1 of this year.
“We’re just going to find a different way of celebrating or wayfinding,” Laurie said.
Other plastic materials on the list include plastic bags, bottles, utensils, straws and wrappers.
Plastic trash bags are specifically mentioned in the policy, but there isn’t a set date for their full replacement.
The goal was to reduce plastic trash bag usage by 50% by this past August, but rather than having a set deadline for full elimination, the policy states that these should be eliminated “when possible.”
“[SUNY recognizes] we just may not, as a nation or a state, have a feasible alternative yet,” Laurie said. “Hopefully in a few years we will, but they recognize that there are some areas where that’s going to be a hardship or just completely impractical.”
According to Laurie, the alternative to Fredonia’s current usage of plastic trash bags may require an overhaul of how trash is handled.
“When we get to the point of fully eliminating those trash bags, now we’re talking about either a total change in procedure or a total change in product,” she said. “So, can we find a suitable substitute, or do we need to completely change how we deal with trash on campus? That’s a question we haven’t answered yet.”
A possible solution Laurie mentioned would be fewer garbage cans around campus. For example, instead of having a trash can in each classroom, there may only be one main one out in the hallway.
This could present an accessibility challenge, especially for students with limited mobility. However, Laurie said it is being taken into consideration, and if students have any concerns, they are encouraged to reach out to her office.
Wigdahl said that another issue with plastic is that it isn’t easily recyclable.
“Some materials like glass or aluminum can basically be recycled endlessly. Most plastics, if they can be recycled, can only be recycled once or twice and that’s it,” she said. “Because it’s so cheap to make a new product, it’s more expensive to try and recover and recycle. In some places, we think we’re recycling something, but it just ends up getting thrown in a landfill or burned in a different country.”
Like anything else, there are exceptions to some plastics being reduced. For example, most plastic used in a medical or scientific setting is exempt from the policy.
“[Healthcare] is a great place to go ahead and have single-use plastics because that has a clear need associated with it and there’s clear benefit associated with it,” Wigdahl said. “I think the thing where we really want to be intentional about it is, where don’t we need it?”
She cited reusable shopping bags and her metal coffee cup as examples, as they can easily be used in place of plastic grocery bags or disposable coffee cups.
Wigdahl describes herself as a “practical environmentalist,” and she said she understands that not everyone is able to completely cut plastic usage out of their lives.
She said that there are situations that call for plastic usage out of convenience, but it’s good to look for opportunities where usage can be reduced or eliminated.
Students on campus may not have the ability to fully eliminate plastic use, especially those who live in residence halls and don’t have their own kitchen.
“It’s great to just identify any areas throughout their daily life where they’re using a single-use plastic,” Laurie said. “Just being aware of the fact that you’re using it can really start to open your eyes to other ways of doing things.”
Wigdahl said that her classes experiment with this through an activity where students track their trash output for a day.
While the task of eliminating harmful plastic waste may seem daunting, Wigdahl said that students can come together to cause positive change.
“It needs to be pervasive, from individuals to communities to industry,” she said. “Even if you can’t use your wallet, you can have good actions. You can talk about it and be aware of it and ask for change.”
Laurie added that in order for Fredonia to successfully execute the elimination of single-use plastics, it’s going to take full cooperation from everyone on campus.
“We are really going to need people to be willing to change their behavior to some degree,” she said. “Students can already be starting to think about that and looking for ways to modify their behavior.”
With these changes, Fredonia hopes to assist SUNY in becoming more conscious of environmental health and sustainability.